Background
Hans-Georg Tersling was born on a farm outside the small town of Karlebo north of Copenhagen, Denmark. His father died when he was three.
Hans-Georg Tersling was born on a farm outside the small town of Karlebo north of Copenhagen, Denmark. His father died when he was three.
After his graduation, Tersling traveled to France where he was employed by Charles Garnier to work on the Monte Carlo Casino where he completed the Salle Schemitt.
His style was the Neoclassical Louis Seize style and he drew on inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. He trained as a carpenter before attending the architecture school of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, receiving his diploma in 1879. After this assignment he lived for a while in Paris before ultimately settling in Menton in the south of France.
At Cape Martin between Menton and Nice, he was commissioned by a consortium headed by the Mr White of Black & White whisky, to design the Grand Hotel.
The hotel was an instant international success with the emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria staying at the hotel four times between 1896 and 1897. Mr White also engaged Tersling to build three stately villas in the surroundings.
The first of these, Villa Cyrnos, completed in 1892, was built for Eugénie de Montijo, the last Empress consort of the French. Among his other clients were Elisabeth of Bavaria and the French politician Victor Masséna whose villa in Nice today serves as the municipal Musée Masséna.
Back in Monton, he designed the town"s casino which was completed in 1909.
lieutenant now houses the Galerie d’Art du Palais de l’Europe, a contemporary arts museum. With the outbreak of World War I, Tersling"s career came to a sudden education His many wealthy clients disappeared and left him with many outstanding receivables.
He died in 1920 almost without means.
His work mainly consisted of designing mondain hotels, villas and mansions for members of the French and European aristocracy and other elite who resided in the area.